Outlier Slim Dungarees

I talked about the Ultrafine Merino T-shirt from Outlier and how it is considered a “core” piece from the company. The other core item are these Slim Dungarees. I’ll first say that I think the Futureworks are far more comfortable than these, as they are far more stretchy (and much cheaper).

That is followed by a however, though, because the Futureworks are not a very warm pant to wear. Which, in Washington, is a bit of a problem. I had avoided buying the Slim Dungarees because of the name. “Slim” I don’t like skin tight clothing, and I had assumed that’s what these were.

I’m not sure slim is the correct term for these, I would say “tailored” is far more accurate. I initially bought a light gray pair to replace the Du/er pants I have, since the high cotton content was bothering me. I’ve since picked up another pair of Slim Dungarees in dark indigo.

While these pants look like jeans in the pocket styling, they don’t look like them in person. Both the sheen of the fabric, and the drape lends it to a different look. I wouldn’t say they are dressier, as much as they are different.

Many Outlier fanatics think the black Slim Dunagrees are the most versatile, and I am starting to think they may be correct (though I think I would prefer a charcoal). I had hoped dark indigo would be closer to jeans, but they really are not. Still, black pants, I don’t know about that.

Back to the pants themselves.

They are much warmer than Futureworks, and likely will be fine for me year round (aside from the two months it is hot here). They repel water and dirt well. They are cut nicely, and far more comfortable than typical jeans in every aspect, while feeling more casual than most non-jeans.

There’s not a lot of stretch, but I might feel that way because the other pants I wear are much stretchier than these. Still, very comfortable. A lot of this comfort is that even though the outside face is a tad rough from the weave (and the pants are very tough), the inner face against your skin is luxuriously soft, like the inside of thin sweat pants. Seriously, it’s pretty awesome. Add to that a gusseted crotch, and they are very easy pants to move about in.

I’ve been wearing these whenever I might wear jeans, and what I can say is that they are clear winners in my book. As noted by Outlier, they take about a day to loosen up, so the first day of wear (even after a wash) can be a bit snug, after that they are extremely comfortable.

I’ve only washed them a couple times to get the fabric to break in a bit faster. (Reddit users not that after some break in they have less sheen to them.)

The Futureworks are still the most comfortable pants, while still looking very presentable — but these Slim Dungarees are only a tick behind the Futureworks.